Aaron Copland

Composers tend to assume that everyone loves music. Surprisingly enough, everyone doesn’t.

If a literary man puts together two words about music, one of them will be wrong.

Every symphony, for example, is a sonata for orchestra; every string quartet is a sonata for four strings; every concerto a sonata for a solo instrument and orchestra.

Listening to the Fifth Symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams is like staring at a cow for 45 minutes.

I hope my recordings of my own works won’t inhibit other people’s performances. The brutal fact is that one doesn’t always get the exact tempo one wants, although one improves with experience.

A melody is not merely something you can hum.

Jazz amounts to Blues, your unique sound and the elusive genius of improvisation.

Every time I see a musician – it doesn’t matter what age – that inspires me, there’s always a secret little wish that maybe we’ll play together, because that’s how I learn and grow and so forth, you know. But hopefully there’s a lot more.

While many attempts have been made to define Jazz, what’s the point really. Jazz is to be experienced – period.

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.

It’s either hip or it ain’t.

Damn it, when I’m bombastic, I have my reasons. I want to be bombastic: take it or leave it.

It’s true I’ve always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way.

I don’t intend to be a performing flea anymore. I was the dreamweaver, but although I’ll be around I don’t intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don’t want to die at 40.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane were so cool, if alive today global warming wouldn’t be an issue.

Finally Beiderbecke took out a silver cornet. He put it to his lips and blew a phrase. The sound came out like a girl saying ‘yes.’

I always play what I feel. I always feel like me, but I’m a different me every day. I get ideas from everything. A big color, the sound of water and wind, or a flash of something cool. Playing is like life. Either you feel it or you don’t.

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal.

I’m always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I’ve been.

He knows I rip him off every day. He’s the godfather for me. Nobody can say they aren’t influenced by what Stevie Wonder has done.

Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.